Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Two shows (and one stop on the L) in and our Brooklyn chapter of Popshop has already taken on a life of its own. The third time's a charm next week, as we've got our golden boy St. Lucia returning to the fold to headline, hot off a quick east coast co-headline run with Charli XCX. Setting
the scene early will be LA's Capital Cities, with their massively infectious pop sound from way out west, and shutting things down late night are Big Black Delta, fresh off their nationwide US tour supporting M83. It's all going
down Saturday, August 11th, at Brooklyn Bowl with doors at 11:30pm and advance tickets available HERE.

Monday, July 30, 2012

You're about to hear a whole lot about Frank + Derol.
Comprised of Codi Caraco and Brandi Cyrus (the Beyonce to Miley's Solange), the pair have perfected this sort of young and restless brand of west coast pop
that swirls together a seemingly innocent concoction of sugar and spice and late late nights. Debut single "Barely Love You Too" smacks of
teenage rebellion and broken hearts, packed with lyrical frankness and
glistening harmonies, but with a darkness that pervades underneath it all like a fairytale ghost story.

The result is one of the best written pop songs we've heard this year, and we're thrilled to be bringing you the exclusive premiere below. Unfortunately, as is increasingly the case with young bands with "label policies" and "digital teams" involved, you'll have to go HERE to exchange your email address for the free download, but trust us, it may never have been more worth it.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

We have endless love for Charli XCX and her unique blend of
femme fatale goth-pop, and her star continues to rise at blinding speeds in the US as she sets out on her first proper tour next week with none other than our own St. Lucia co-headlining alongside her. New single "You're The
One" is the epitome of Charli-pop, a driving, pulsing pop anthem, and to mark the momentous occasion of their co-headline run together, St. L has blessed the track with his golden remix touch.

It takes off with twinkling electronics floating mid-air and Charli's
vocals riding along the intro as gentle as air, until the first verse
drops and the rest is history. Then when the middle eight flips the switch,
you're sucked into a wind tunnel of tireless synths and ageless
basslines, a magical kingdom of immortality that makes heaven feel like home. The Charli / St. Lucia dates kick off this Saturday at Bowery Ballroom in NYC, before hitting the road in the days that follow, see the flyer above for details on the full run.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Hard to believe it's been a year since we first brought our party favors to the nation's capital for the first installment of All Things Gold, but hey, time flies when you're raging your face off. This Friday, we're celebrating our one year anniversary the only way we know how, with a supersized version of our monthly DC club night featuring some of our favorite bands in the game.

Getting things started early, we've got superstar electro types French Horn Rebellion alongside new wave hula sensations Vacationer, before POP ETC take things to another level as they make their international live debut proper with us. Late night, the headliners read like an All Things Gold Greatest Hits, as our resident partystarters The Knocks and the inimitable DJ force of RAC close things out in style. And as both The Knocks (twice) and RAC (once) have already sold out U Hall on their own a few times now, we're going bigger than ever before and taking things to the wide open spaces of 930 Club, for a very special (and very rare) ALL AGES extravaganza. All this and more for the bargain basement price of $20, so get your tickets HERE before it's too late. Basically, this is the show your dreams have been dreaming of, and the only thing missing is you. Consider this your cordial invitation.

Get the party started early with this exclusive All Things Gold megamix The Knocks have put together featuring the stars of Friday's show below.

Monday, July 23, 2012

We’ve had boundless love for California this year, but it’s time to bring it
back home for a hot second on our next release. Former west coasters now living in Brooklyn, the Morning Benders re-emerged earlier this year as the synth-fueled POP ETC, taking
their already sun-blessed melodies to a whole new level of pop brilliance. At the center of the resurgence is "YoYo", one of our absolute favorite songs of 2012, and we're thrilled to be teaming up with Rough Trade to roll out the 7" on Neon Gold later this month.

"YoYo" shines and stuns from the very first synth drop, like the ‘80s love child of Yes Giantess and Chromeo, complete with a spoken word bridge and some of the fiercest hooks we've ever heard this side of Top 40 radio. As it throttles from zero to ANTHEM in seconds flat, Chris Chu's future-tuned vocals float in on golden chords of nostalgia, and when the glittering chorus finally washes over you, it's clear that you've got a serious smash on your hands.

On the flip, mixtape highlight
“Hungry Like The Wolf” provides the perfect counterpart to the breezy bliss of “YoYo” - all ravenous synths and skyscraping choruses - and together, they can brighten up literally any day of the year. The physical release drops next week just in time for their NYC live debut proper alongside HAIM at Popshop, but
preorder is now available HERE, so get your order on and own a piece of the heat for yourself.

After a brief sabbatical last month, Popshop NYC returns to Santos in a BIG way next week, as we bring HAIM back to New York for their first headline play since selling out their last two shows here in May. Joining them in the co-headline slot are POP ETC, stepping out and making their NYC live debut proper after a warm up last night at the Bowery Hotel, and we've got none other than our beloved Savoir Adore rounding out this star-studded bill for the ages. Tickets sold out hard last time the sisters Haim came to town, so get your $10 advance tickets HERE before it's too late.

Monday, July 16, 2012

If you made it out to the blue velvet rope-cutting of our inaugural Popshop West, you'll remember how stacked and star-studded that cast was, as everyone from Ryan Adams to Natasha Bedingfield hit the stage for special guest appearances and sent our wild west launch party down as one for the ages. And so now the time has come for us to return to the golden coast for another round of Popshop magic at The Echo, and this time with our very own boy wonder St. Lucia in tow as he makes his west coast debut next week.

Then supporting St. L we've got recent LA transplant and esteemed Neon Gold alumnus Mr. Little Jeans, as well as fast-rising hometown heroes Beat Club kicking off the festivities early on. It's all going down July 24th, with doors at 8pm sharp and $10 advance tickets going f-a-s-t and available HERE. This one's already close to selling out without us even starting the push on our end, so get involved before it's too late.

Friday, July 13, 2012

New York bright young things Noosa arrive on the scene with a flurry of promising tracks and a bona fide anthem in waiting on debut single "Walk On By". Leading lady Sky Barbarick's vocal brings to mind everything from the pop noir nicotine of Lana Del Rey to the quirky effortlessness of Kimbra and doe-eyed wonder of Laura Veirs, as it sits perfectly atop an instrumental that delicately treads the line between heartbreaking lows and skyscraping highs. It's five
minutes of heaven and hell and everything in between; keys fall like angels and strings
swell and tear at your heartstrings, dripping with summertime sadness and a wistful melancholy that stays with you long after the song's run its course.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Last month, Ellie Goulding stormed back onto the scene (without ever even leaving the charts) with her collaboration with Xaphoon Jones, as they took on The Weeknd's "High For This". This week her triumphant return continues, as she's back with yet another massive cover collaboration, this time joining forces with Tinie Tempah to reinvent Active Child's "Hanging On". All dressed up in oscillating M83 synths and the weight of the world hanging in the balance of the mix, "Hanging On" sounds like a song Ellie was put on this earth to sing, but it's Tinie who stuns in equal measures, absolutely going IN on one of his best verses to date.

Our DC joint venture, All Things Gold, has been up and running like a charm, so we're very excited about our next one. This time, it's half American and half British for 100% pop glory. On the DJ front, we've got Gigamesh, master of all things summer, and London legends, Punks Jump Up, laying down the law. On the live front, we have UK princess of pop herself, Foxes, and Neon Gold alum Mr. Little Jeans providing all the lady love you'll ever need.

It's all going down tomorrow at U Street Music Hall from 9pm onwards, with tickets still available HERE. We've booked an entire Neon Gold bloc of live magic this week from Thursday to Saturday so if you can't make it to DC for the festivities, worry not. Mr. Little Jeans is opening for Alex Winston at Santos on Friday and Foxes will be playing our Popshop BK on Saturday. Come out, come out, wherever you are, your weekend just started.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

We first name-checked Manchester's Swiss Lips
back in December, and they've since gone and wrangled themselves a major label deal in their native UK. To mark this grand occasion, we're premiering this fiery AutoKratz remix of debut single "Danz". While the original sounded like Friendly Fires
in a volatile volcano of crackling synths, AutoKratz takes it windsurfing on technicolor seas past smooth-sailing falsettos and
breathless harmonies, all with the kaleidoscopic magnitude of an ecstasy-fueled timewarp back to the 80's.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Our inaugural Popshop Brooklyn launch was nothing short of a raging success last month, and now we're back for round two. While our Manhattan chapter is on holiday, we've filled our second Popshop BK to the brim with some of the latest and greatest of the US and UK empires, taking over the early AND late Saturday night Brooklyn Bowl slots to make up for Popshop NYC's brief sabbatical last week.

Headlining we've got the inimitable MNDR, reclaiming her Popshop throne after shutting it down at the very first Popshop ever back in 2011, alongside our very own leading ladies, Foxes and Mr. Little Jeans. Rounding things out on the live section we've got HITS fresh off a sold out live debut at the Mercury Lounge, before Punks Jump Up and Starsmith take over the decks and keep things going into the early hours. It's all going down THIS Saturday at Brooklyn Bowl on July 14th, with doors at 8pm and $10 tickets available HERE.

We've already gone on about the debut single from Atlas Genius, "Trojans", and its infinite wisdom, but for now, we're here to talk about the gravity-defying Xaphoon Jones edit. This time, young Xaph blesses the original with the power of invincibility and the insatiable desire to conquer civilizations. From the start, the warping ghost loops wrap around the earnest vocals and crescendo strategically, foreshadowing an ominous remix of the darkest persuasion. As the chorus ramps up, it's the unyielding onslaught of massive black hole synths that vacuums up everything in its way, leaving the best looking trail of destruction in its wake. It's almost like watching 2012: A Space Odyssey on ketamine and breaking the laws of physics. On a related note, our "Trojans" remix contest is still open (rules HERE) until July 31st, so don't forget to get yours in before then.